This month's wine focus has me thinking a bit, as a few folks have recommended some California Pinot Noir to try that (upon visiting the winery's website) tend to fall in the $40-100 range. Normally I wouldn't think of spending that much on domestic wine very often, and when I do buy European bottles in this range, (being on a budget) they are for few-and-far-between special occasions.

This got the wheels turning...if I'm going to throw down $50 or more on a bottle of wine, I want to feel like it is money well spent, as there are so many great value wines out there. QPR comes in to play quite a bit (and is especially in mind when talking Pinot Noir).

So, if you could walk into a wine shop that had every wine known to man available, and had only $50 in your pocket to spend on ONE bottle, what wine would you pick? Obviously, there will be a margin of error on pricing in everyone's local area, but we can be flexible about this. I'm interested to see which wines others would choose.

My first thought is that I'd be apopleptic with indecision because there are so many good bottles in that price range. Today I've got Sicilian wine on the brain and would probably try to double down, choosing the 09 Aziendo Agricola Cos, bottle of Terre Nere and five bucks in my pocket for later if I could get away with it. If only one bottle? I just don't know. More thought required.

My wine shopping and I have never had a problem. Just a perpetual race between the bankruptcy court and Hell.--Rogov

Jenise wrote:My first thought is that I'd be apopleptic with indecision because there are so many good bottles in that price range. Today I've got Sicilian wine on the brain and would probably try to double down, choosing the Aziendo Agricola Cos, a bottle of Terre Nere and five bucks in my pocket for later if I could get away with it. If only one bottle? I just don't know. More thought required.

That Terre Nere is really good juice, nice to see that you've discovered that wine.

David, so true. But the question was bottle (singular), so you and I should really go back to the drawing board.

Oh I know. I'd go back to the Spanish Table in Seattle and buy the 2005 Cune Imperial for $45 that I passed up on Wednesday. May not be the wine I most desire, but I desire it plenty and at least it would rectify an error.

My wine shopping and I have never had a problem. Just a perpetual race between the bankruptcy court and Hell.--Rogov

At the $50 price point, I would be looking for traditional Rioja (Muga Prado Enea for example), traditional Taurasi (Mastroberardino for example), or Etna (Terre Nerre Guardiola for example). Others besides the examples I cite that fit here as well. These are just the ones I know best.

I had a moment like this a couple years ago - walked into a shop and found a single bottle of 1998 Muga Prado Enea Gran Reserva Rioja for $50 (which normally in our market would retail for $60+.

I don't think anyone has mentioned Champagne yet - and I'd have to say I'd be more likely to go for a great grower-producer like Rene Geoffroy's Expression Brut Premier Cru, or something from Chartogne-Taillet or Pierre Gimmonet.

$50 = roughly €40. For that price we can get such a plethora of lovely European bottles that I don't know where to begin.

All BeaujolaisNearly all Loire CabFranc (I think Rougeard may now top €40)Nearly all Loire dry and demi-sec Chenin and much moelleux (Coulée de Serrant, Huet and Foreau best tries, etc. top €40)All Crozes-Hermitage and St.Joseph and some Hermitage, Cornas and Côte RôtieAll Southern Rhône except some CndPNearly all Languedoc and Roussillon (exceptions Granges des Pères, Gauby Muntada, Clos Fées Petite Sibérie and one or two others)Most good Alsace (except some of Z-H, Deiss, Weinbach and CSH/CFE)Most good Germany (except most Egon Müller, many Auslesen, most BA and TBA and some GGs) Most Bordeaux below 3ème GC classés Médoc, GC classés St.Émilion and equivalent PomerolGeneric Bourgogne, many Côte d'Or Villages and some 1er crus (except top prestigious growers like Leroy, Ponsot, DRC......)Nearly all from Côte ChalonnaiseNearly all from Mâconnais (Guffens exception)Chablis except GCs from Ravenneau....Jura (maybe some vin jaune esp. Macle over €40)SavoieNearly all Sud-Ouest (one or two pretentious Cahors)Most Nebbiolo Langhe and DolcettoSome Barbera and a few from Barolo and BarbarescoMuch fine Chianti and Tuscan IGT, e.g. Fèlsina (though Fontalloro now tops €40 I think)

I've run out of breath before going further South in Italy and venturing into Spain, Portugal......